Rutgers vs Ohio State Predictions, Odds

• December 23, 2020
• By Thom Cunningham
• VegasInsider.com

The No. 11 Rutgers Scarlet Knights travel to Columbus to take on the No. 23 Ohio State Buckeyes in a huge Big Ten battle. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. (ET) at the Value City Arena.

BETTING RESOURCES

• Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
• Conference: Big Ten
• Venue: Value City Arena
• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Date: Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020
• Time: 4:30 p.m.
• TV: BTN
• Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet |William Hill | Best Sportsbooks

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Rutgers-Ohio State Betting Odds

Line Movements

• Spread: Ohio State -1
• Money-Line: TBD
• Total: 140.5

Odds Subject to Change

Ohio State opens as a one-point favorite playing at home, after suffering a road loss to Purdue but winning a neutral court game against UCLA. Rutgers opens as the underdog, although they may not stay there for very long, having yet to lose this season and coming off a big win against Illinois.

The point total for this game is set at 140.5. The schools are a combined 7-5-1 O/U this season, with Rutgers seeing the lone draw. With a one-point spread, this game is a toss up in the eyes of bookmakers.

Betting Analysis – Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 6-0
• ATS: 3-2-1
• SU - Home: 5-0
• SU - Away: 1-0
• O/U: 4-1-1

Rutgers has been nothing short of impressive this season. The school returns mostly everyone from a year ago, none more important than Wooden Award candidate Ron Harper, Jr.

Harper, Jr. is averaging a ridiculous 25 points per game to go along with seven boards. He isn't alone however, as Jacob Young and Montez Mathis are also huge point contributors for this team.

Young is the facilitator of this offense, averaging 5.7 assists per game. This team passes the ball extremely well, ranking 35th nationally in assister per game (17.8). Paul Mulcahy is the other facilitator, averaging four assists a game. Mulcahy averages six points and five rebounds too, a huge difference maker with little-to-no recognition.

Myles Johnson is also a very important player on this team, averaging a near double-doubler and the school's leading rebounder. This is a team that love to play inside out, with the 34th-most blocks in the nation and the 14th-most two-pointers made per game. Rutgers also shoots the 84th-best three-point percentage, but the 238th-most in attempted threes.

Rutgers doesn't take many threes, but when they do it seems they drop. With the efficient shooting percentages across the board and 45th-best offensive efficiency rating in the nation, this is a smart offensive team that takes open looks and creates good shot attempts.

Betting Analysis – Ohio State Buckeyes

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 6-1
• ATS: 3-3-1
• SU - Home: 5-0
• SU - Away: 1-1
• O/U: 3-4

Ohio State's biggest weapon is their experience, as the Buckeyes have three players average double-digit point totals and are all upperclassmen. Duane Washington is the team's leading scorer, averaging close to 15 points per game, while Justice Sueing averages close to 13.

C.J. Walker, the senior, averages the most assists on this team and is the heart of this Buckeye team. When looking through the numbers, Ohio State doesn't jump out in any statistical category, other than free throws.

Ohio State shoots the 14th-most free throws per game and is 77% from the charity stripe, which ranks 32nd in the nation. The Buckeyes also clean up on the offensive boards, averaging 12.3 per game which ranks 73rd.

Rutgers doesn't a great job of rebounding though, so the Buckeyes will need to lean on offensive rebounds and second chance points to win this tough game. The road worries were a concern for Ohio State, until a hard fought win over UCLA. Ohio State is perfect at home this season, as this is their toughest opponent at home after facing bottom-tier schools in the MVC, America East, OVC and Horizon.

Inside the Stats – Rutgers Scarlet Knights

• PS/G: 82.7 (51st)
• PA/G: 68.5 (150th)
• Off Rtg: 113.2 (45th)
• Def Rtg: 93.8 (127th)

Inside the Stats – Ohio State Buckeyes

• PS/G: 77 (110th)
• PA/G: 65.4 (98th)
• Off Rtg: 116.4 (28th)
• Def Rtg: 98.9 (208th)

Key Players to Watch

• RUT - Ron Harper, Jr. (24 PPG, 7.3 RPG)
• RUT - Jacob Young (16.5 PPG, 5.7 APG)
• OHST - Duane Washington (14.4 PPG)
• OHST - Justice Sueing (12.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG)

Rutgers-Ohio State Predictions

It's difficult to bet against Rutgers, as the team looks unstoppable and is a serious threat to win the Big Ten conference. Don't fall too in love with Rutgers for this game, as Ohio State is a difficult out in Columbus.

As good as Rutgers has been, they are due to drop a game. This seems like the game to lose, if they were to lose a road game against a good team. The issue with taking Ohio State is that they haven't been impressive against good teams this season. They lost to Purdue and escaped a five-point win against Notre Dame.

Rutgers has had the better resume so far, but Ohio State at home seems to be the safer bet between the two schools. The point total seems to be a better option here, currently at 140.5. Both teams need to touch 70 for that to go OVER, as this game seems like it may hang around in the sixties for both schools

• Score Prediction: Ohio State 68 Rutgers 67
• Best Bets: UNDER

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